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On eating a raw onion for breakfast

16th August: If you've been inspired by the Olympics recently and fancy getting in on some sporting action but aren't exactly Jessica Ennis fit, this is the activity for you.

Raw onion eating.

I kid you not. This is an actual British sport. There are championships for it and everything. Earlier this week we spoke to Richard Smith, an author who has spent the last year or so going round the UK and recording all the details of eccentric sporting events that put the "great" in Great Britain.

He told us about wife carrying in Dorset, the Panto-horse Grand National in Birmingham and pram racing in Oxfordshire. And then he challenged us to try out one of the lesser-known eccentric sports in the studio.

Because we're a democratic bunch, we asked you all to vote. Your options were toe wrestling, pea throwing and raw onion eating. Guess which one we *really* didn't want to do? And guess which one you chose?

Yep.

If you'd like to try this out at home (I mean, why wouldn't you?!), the rules are:

1) The winner is the person who eats a whole raw onion in the fastest time

2) A man's onion must weigh 7lbs and a woman's must weigh 5lbs.

3) The world record is 1 minute and 55 seconds.

I have to admit, I was a complete failure. I managed two big bites (eating it like an apple) and gave up. The burning sensation in my mouth and eyes was unbearable, at one point I actually felt physically ill.

But Jez being the true pro that he is - not to mention massive lover of all things edible - soldiered on and managed to consume the entire 7lbs of raw onion put in front of him.

On completing the challenge and claiming victory, this was his triumphant response: